Ludo (band)
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| Ludo | |
|---|---|
| Origin | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Years active | 2003 – Present |
| Genres | Power pop, Rock |
| Labels | Island Records |
| Members | Andrew Volpe Tim Ferrell Marshall Fanciullo Tim Convy Matt Palermo |
Ludo is a power-pop rock band from St. Louis, Missouri that is known for harmony-driven tunes with strong lyrics and an extensive touring schedule that has developed a solid fan base (known as Ninjas).
Contents |
[edit] About The Band
Ludo (the name was inspired by the giant muppet in the movie Labryinth) has gone through a number of changes as it has developed over the years. It started as a duo of lead vocalist and guitarist Andrew Volpe and guitarist Tim Ferrell, but has expanded to a five-piece group with keyboardist Tim Convy, bassist Marshall Fanciullo and drummer Matt Palermo.
The band started out "armed with a van, two ferrets and a DIY three-song demo"[1] in 2003, and released its debut self-titled album that summer on St. Louis independent label Redbird Records. In the run up to their second recording, Broken Bride (a rock opera EP released in 2005), Ludo began to make its mark on the music scene outside of St. Louis. The band, still touring constantly, won contests to play at South by Southwest and to have a video produced by Fuse, played at the Winter X Games[2], appeared as part of the Warped Tour and were named "The Next Big Thing" by Fuse.[3] Ludo is now recording in L.A. with Island Records for their second full-length album.
Ludo is known to its fans for being extremely interactive, contributing to web forum discussions and swiftly answering fan questions.
Several of the songs on Ludo's debut album were originally written and performed by Volpe's previous band, Karate Lunchbox. Recently, the band has signed with Island Records, according to a bulletin posted by the band on their webpage.
[edit] Broken Bride
This album is in the form of a rock opera with five tracks.
The songs on the EP are in the order in which they occur in the story, with the exception of "Save Our City," which serves as an interlude.
Broken Bride is the story of a man known as the Traveler, whose wife died in a car crash in the year 1989. Devastated, he spends the next fifteen years of his life building a time machine that will allow him to return to the morning in May when she died, hopefully to save her from her fate. At long last, the machine is complete, and the Traveler successfully goes back in time. Unfortunately, the time machine's circuits fail, and the Traveler is sent hurtling far past 1989 - all the way back to when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Attacked by pterodactyls, he seeks refuge in a cave, and despairs that all his effort has been in vain. (Part I: Broken Bride)
Meanwhile, in the far future, the world is in chaos. The dead have risen from their graves to attack the living, and people watch in horror as their city is beset by zombies. A little boy pleads with the city's mayor (the False Prophet) to defend their town. Instead, the mayor panics, and with a salute to the king Simius, puts a gun to his mouth and commits suicide. Soldiers fall before the undead, only to rise as zombies themselves and march on the city in service of an evil creature called the Dragon. Even as the end looks near, the boy goes to the window of city hall and cries out to the people to take up arms and defend themselves against the zombies and the Dragon. (Save Our City)
Back in prehistoric times, the Traveler has been hiding in the cave for some time. Unable to think of anything but his beloved and the times they shared, he resolves to make a run for the time machine that very night. (Part II: Tonight's The Night)
After narrowly escaping a pack of pterodactyls, the Traveler reclaims his machine. This time, however, he shoots too far forward and finds himself at Armageddon. King Simius (possibly the Antichrist) survives his throat being slit, and now leads the Dragon's forces from Babylon. Eventually, the Dragon himself comes to destroy the world. Faced with the decision of saving the world or saving his wife, the Traveler chooses the former. He uses the time machine to open a portal, through which comes a swarm of pterodactyls ("I've got dragons of my own.") He destroys the Dragon, but in the process, the machine is destroyed. Having stranded himself in the future, the Traveler is approached by angels, who wonder why he is still heartbroken despite having saved the souls of the world. In return for his selfless act, they bring him back to that morning in May when his wife was still alive. (Part III: The Lamb And The Dragon)
The Traveler enters his home in the year of 1989 (again), and finds his wife alive in their bed. Moved beyond words, he can scarcely believe it. His happiness is short-lived, however, when he realizes she is just about to leave on the very car trip that will kill her. Catching her just in time, he makes a fateful decision . . . (Part IV: Morning In May)
[edit] Broken Bride as Theater
In November of 2006, Broken Bride was produced for the first time ever as a fully staged theater piece by University Theater at the University of Chicago[4]. The 28 minute concept album was adapted for the stage by first time director Paul Bruton and featured Lee August Praley as the traveler and Liat Bird as his beloved bride.
Bruton received permission from Ludo to stage Broken Bride in spring 2006 and proposed a black box theater production for that fall. Broken Bride utilized a curtains and cubes aesthetic, wherein a variey of complex locations can be implied within a limited setting. Set designer Evelyn DeHais employed a cunning and practical design to present a cave, city hall, the ruins of a city, and a young couples bedroom. The cast thoroughly interacted with the set's wooden cubes throughout the production tearing down city hall to reveal the body of the mayor and using cubes as rocks to divert swarms of pterodactyls. Several smaller cubes bolted to a larger cube with the addition of two arms from a pilfered office chair served as the time machine.
Music for the production was provided by the band in the form of a re-mixed version of the album, completely stripped of all primary and back-up vocals, with the exception of a few harmonies in "Save Our City" and "Part III: The Lamb and the Dragon". The melodies were arranged for the fourteen member cast by long-time Bruton collaborator Tristan Cosino, who also coached and directed the ensemble.
Light designer Lila McDowell (assisted by master electrician Margaret Lebron) provided hand made gobos (made from cut tin foil stretched over lights) to create the giant pterodactyls that became a favorite of theater goers on each night of Broken Brides' sold out run.
[edit] Ludo Ninjas
The "Ludo Ninjas," a unit over 300 strong, span all across the country. These fans contribute with grassroots promotion, online activity, radio campaigns and other activities.
[edit] Albums
Ludo (2003)
1. Saturday Night Thunderbolt 2. Roxy 3. Hum Along 4. Ode to Kevin Arnold 5. Sara's Song 6. Summertime 7. Hello, My Name Is Your T.V 8. Good Will Hunting By Myself 9. Laundry Girl 10. Air-Conitioned Love 11. Girls On Trampolines
Broken Bride (2005)
1. Part 1: Broken Bride 2. Save Our City 3. Part 2: Tonights the Night 4. Part 3: The Lamb and the Dragon 5. Part 4: Morning in May
Unreleased Tracks
1. Please 2. Japan It 3. The Horror of Our Love 4. Come Home 5. Elektra's Complex 6. Scream Scream Scream 7. Topeka 8. Lake Pontchartrain 9. Love Me Dead 10.Angel in a Hoodie 11.In Space 12.Go-Getter Greg 13.Such as it Ends 14.Drunken Lament 15.Safe in the Dark 16.No Sleep Tonight
